We live increasingly alone. We are more prone to eat alone than in previous generations. And those under the age of 25 are seemingly most prone to eat alone — in the past 20 years, those eating alone in that age bracket has increased 80%. We are less likely to attend public meetings or take […]
Read More He Prays for You“God Raised Him Up”Acts 10:34-43April 20, 2025 Every preacher, every week asks himself the same question, “what do you preach this week?” What do you preach to those who are suffering by walking through the valley of the shadow of death? (Six church members have had mothers die in the past 4-6 weeks.) What do […]
Read More “God Raised Him Up”Consider death. Think about, contemplate, and ponder on the reality of death. That’s Solomon’s counsel: It is better to go to a house of mourningThan to go to a house of feasting,Because that is the end of every man,And the living takes it to heart.…The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,While […]
Read More Consider DeathThe Son of Man’s Authority Over the SabbathLuke 6:1-11March 30, 2025 In three weeks, we will remember the most important aspects of Christ as we gather to meditate on His death on Good Friday and celebrate His resurrection on Easter morning. What happened on those days 2000 years ago is the foundation of our faith […]
Read More The Son of Man’s Authority Over the SabbathThe Son of Man’s Authority to Seek SinnersLuke 5:27-39March 23, 2025 One of my favorite declarations of authority was given by poet Judith Viorst, writing in the voice of an elementary-aged boy named Alexander: “If I were in charge of the world…” If I were in charge of the worldI’d cancel oatmeal,Monday mornings,Allergy shots, and […]
Read More The Son of Man’s Authority to Seek SinnersChrist is all-sufficient (Col. 3:11). There is nothing for which is not more than capable. But we sometimes overlook or minimize just how sufficient our sufficient Savior is. To help you with your burdens, consider some of the ways that John Newton described Christ’s sufficiency: Christ is our all-sufficient Shepherd Christ is our all-sufficient Husband […]
Read More Our All-Sufficient SaviorIt was a simple statement by Jesus. It was just six words. They may not be the most significant or powerful words ever spoken by Jesus, but they undoubtedly they were the most significant and powerful words ever spoken to the man who heard them: “Friend, your sins are forgiven you” (Lk. 5:20). He was […]
Read More “Your sins are forgiven you”The Forgiving Authority of the Son of ManLuke 5:17-26March 16, 2025 Into every life a little rain must fall. Death and taxes are a certainty for every person. Trouble is all around us. And everyone has trouble, trials, problems, and difficulties. Even in a land of prosperity. Of course some of them are unique […]
Read More The Forgiving Authority of the Son of Man“The accent in the church today is not on devotion, but on commotion” one writer said a generation ago. The temptation in the church (and most of life) is to fill schedules with activities, to let expectations of others become personal demands, and to base a sense worthiness on the extent of busyness. So Matt […]
Read More When You Are Busy…The Cleansing Power of the Son of ManLuke 5:12-16March 9, 2025 Finish this statement for me: “Cleanliness is next to __________ .” So I’m not sure what to do with Dave Whitlock. Dave is a grad of MIT, a chemical engineer, and the founder of AOBiome which markets bacterial products that are supposed to […]
Read More The Cleansing Power of the Son of ManAfter Jesus teaches a group of professional fishermen how to fish, Luke offers a concluding observation. It is a simple sentence with profound implications: “They left everything and followed Him.” They left the fish from that catch, the boats, the nets and equipment, the business, their houses, and undoubtedly relationships. They left it all. They […]
Read More They Followed Jesus“Follow Me”Luke 5:1-11February 16, 2025 It’s an old childhood game — follow the leader. Players first choose a leader and the remaining players (followers) all line up behind the leader who then moves around and all the players have to mimic the leader’s actions exactly. Any player who fails to mimic the leader is out […]
Read More “Follow Me”Tolerance is a popular secular virtue. The priority of tolerance is not only popular, but at times it appears to hold the same authority as the dogma of the Constitution for our country. It seems inviolable. This tolerance says, “You must approve of what I do…You must agree with me…You must allow me to have […]
Read More Be TolerantGod is committed to unity. God’s priority of unity is emphasized throughout Scripture. Unity is inferred on the very first pages of Scripture, when a unified God acts to create the world and all things in it and beyond it. When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and […]
Read More God’s Commitment to UnityPreserving Unity — Ministry Focus for 2025Ephesians 4:1-3January 19, 2025 For several years, we have had a theme for the year — a biblical truth that would help orient us and guide us as we serve Christ. Often those themes come from circumstances that we see in the culture (both secular and church) that […]
Read More Preserving Unity
Words of Grace 